‘NXT Takeover XXX’ PPV Review (Aug 22nd 2020)

Welcome to this review of NXT Takeover XXX, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and Mr. Happy is your best friend…in the crotch. I could wink at a falcon all day…as long as this show is good. Falcon! Wait! We’ve got time…to wink! Carl Sagan is gonna help us with the review, bec…he’s dead. Well, we’ve got Pat McAfee, because the roster has no one else on it that can wrestle…no one. I once told my friend Jaro, “Kill A Man, Jaro”, because NXT Takeover XXX starts…well, it already happened, so Saturday, August 22, 2020.

Match #1: Breezango def. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch and Legado del Fantasma – No. 1 Contenders Match To The NXT Tag Team Championship

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

In a fast and furious throwdown to determine the next challengers to NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium, Breezango emerged victorious after Breeze clobbered Oney Lorcan with a Supermodel Kick. Fandango took control of the bout early on, overpowering Legado del Fantasma, but soon spilled out to the arena floor in a slugfest with Oney Lorcan. Raul Mendoza turned the tides of the battle quickly in Legado del Fantasma’s favor with a stunning spinning dive onto all of his opponents. Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde had victory in their clutches after Mendoza hit a standing Spanish Fly on Breeze, with Wilde following up with a 450 Splash, only for their opponents to break up the pin. Mayhem broke out from there, culminating in Lorcan sending Wilde flying out of the ring with a diving European Uppercut. Prince Pretty pounced on the opportunity, decking Lorcan with a Supermodel Kick to seal the victory for Breezango, locking them in for a future championship showdown with Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner.

My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was a whole bunch of nice brawling/diving spots, with a little bit of chewing gum holding it all together. Everybody worked hard to sell this as a big deal and were relatively successful. Breezango winning was not the way I would have gone, but at least the other two teams can survive with a loss.

Match #2: Finn Bálor def. Timothy Thatcher

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

When it comes to delivering at TakeOver, NXT’s biggest stage, there is no one on Finn Bálor’s level. The Prince has the most victories in TakeOver history, and added to his illustrious record with a grueling win over Timothy Thatcher at TakeOver XXX. After Thatcher cost him a chance to compete for the NXT North American Title tonight Finn Bálor went right after the grappler at the bell. The Prince showed he was willing to trade holds with the ruthless mat master, even gaining the upper hand on the creator of Thatch-as-Thatch-Can Wrestling. But eventually, Thatcher would turn the tables on Bálor, manipulating joints and contorting The Prince’s body into painful positions. Bálor would endure and fight through the pain, eventually getting his rival into position for the Coup de Grace. Thatcher would evade, leaving The Prince to come crashing down on his leg, giving Thatcher a clear target to go to work on. Thatcher did just that, nearly forcing Bálor to submit, but The Prince fought through the pain, finally connecting with the Coup de Grace and spiking Thatcher with the 1916 DDT to get the three count and pick up his 12thTakeOver victory.

My Opinion: 4.1 out of 5 – This was the best match of the show. Some folk won’t like the technical aspect of this (the whole thing), but screw them. These guys went back in time and snatched-up the old style, the hold-for-hold style, and made it the way of this match. If you don’t like watching two guys compete and do so with great intricacy and detail, then p*ss off!

Match #3: Damian Priest won a Ladder Match to become NXT North American Champion

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Damian Priest took a major step to ensure that his name will live forever at TakeOver XXX, emerging from the wreckage of a high-risk ladder match as the new NXT North American Champion. The match was an all-out melee from the get-go, with all five Superstars looking to grab a ladder and scale toward the title. Cameron Grimes was the first to bring a ladder into the ring, but would not get to climb it after getting knocked out of the ring. Bronson Reed proved to be a formidable Ladder Match participant, using his colossal power to muscle the opposition around, including a huge five-Superstar pile-up that started with a powerbomb on Grimes. The bout quickly devolved into a demolition derby, with every Superstar putting it all on the line, including Priest dashing up a ladder to dive onto his rivals. As the five Superstars lay on the floor, trying to compose themselves, Candice LeRae rushed to ringside, trying to will her husband back into the ring. But while Gargano got back to his feet, The Poison Pixie entered the ring and yanked Grimes off a ladder, then unleashed a flurry of blows on The Technical Savage. Gargano & LeRae tried to team up and steal the NXT North American Title, but The Johnny Gargano Way was foiled when LeRae climbed up a ladder and tried to stop Reed. Instead, she found herself on Reed’s back as he came crashing down on Johnny Wrestling with a massive Tsunami. At the bout’s climax, The Velveteen Dream was launched off a ladder, over the guardrail and sent crashing through two tables. Back in the ring, The Archer of Infamy and Gargano found themselves on top of a ladder, fingertips on the title. Gargano managed to unhook the title, but Priest had it in his clutches, as well. Priest managed to knock Gargano from the ladder and claim the title for himself, taking his first step toward infamy.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a lot of stopping and starting, but the spots were good and everything went BOOM! The story here was Gargano (who should have won) tried every trick in the book to win this, but his overzealous schemes thwarted him and ruined his chances of victory. Priest winning was a surprise, but a welcome one, if only for his career. Dream losing was the right call for a myriad of reasons that are not beholden only to his sexual indiscretions. Reed is getting there as an attraction for NXT and Grimes was a wild phucker here. The match was merely a slow stunt show, but it did pack a punch, like my wife when she checks my browser history. Priest…go figure.

Match #4: Adam Cole def. Pat McAfee

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After two years of insults, Adam Cole finally got his hands on Pat McAfee and made the former NFL’er pay, though McAfee managed to impress the WWE Universe in his initial outing in the squared circle. Despite Cole agreeing to leave The Undisputed ERA in the locker room, McAfee arrived to TakeOver with former NFL stars AJ Hawk and Darius Butler and his podcast co-host Nick Maraldo in his corner. The former NXT Champion gained the upper hand early on, as he gave McAfee a lesson in what it takes to be a Superstar. However, McAfee was able to use the power that helped him become an All-Pro punter to turn the tables on Cole. At ringside, McAfee and his crew swarmed around Cole, leading to The Undisputed ERA arriving to even the odds. McAfee took advantage of the melee, climbing to the top rope and taking out Undisputed ERA, his friends and NXT security with a breathtaking dive to the arena floor. In his first-ever match, McAfee continued to impress as he worked over the former NXT Champion while showing off his incredible athletic skill. Cole thought he had the upper hand again as he shoved McAfee off the top rope, only for the former Indianapolis Colt punter to backflip off and land on his feet, then leap back up to the top rope and plant Cole into the canvas with a superplex. McAfee had Cole lined up for another punt, but the Undisputed ERA’s leader evaded the kick, instead punting the steel ring steps. That turned out to be the point where things went south for McAfee. Finally, Cole connected with a Panama Sunrise to put an end to this rivalry.

My Opinion: 4 out of 5 – Well, I’ll be damned. Pat was damn good! Adam carried him through the tough parts, but Pat delivered enough on his own that I don’t have to shoot him now! I heard that Pat had actually wrestled before (and was trained to boot), but he went way past the celebrity thing and pulled off a Ronda Rousey/Ken Shamrock/Shayna Baszler/Lawrence Taylor kind of feat. There was plenty of high-end wrestling from both men and the match never lagged, dragged or pissed me off. If Pat wanted to come back (which looks to be the case), then I’d welcome him. Adam came across like a big star here and got the win, which is just that much better.

Match #5: Io Shirai def. Dakota Kai – NXT Women’s Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai faced one of her toughest challenges to date in Dakota Kai. Despite the meddling of Raquel Gonzalez, The Genius of The Sky hit her trademark Moonsault to stay champion. Kai worked over the NXT Women’s Champion in the early goings of the match, grounding Shirai with her trademark kicks. The Genius of The Sky tried to fight back, but Kai managed to stay one step ahead. The NXT Women’s Champion found herself on the ropes for most of the match, as Kai unleashed her devastating kicks and locked on an armbar that had Shirai on the brink of submission. But eventually, Kai’s kicks would seemingly turn the tides of the bout, as Kai clobbered the referee with one, knocking him out. Shirai connected with a Moonsault from the top rope, but there was no one to count the pinfall. That’s when Kai’s insurance policy, Raquel Gonzalez, slid into the ring and planted Shirai into the canvas with a huge powerbomb, then dragged Kai on top for the pin. Despite Gonzalez’s interference, Shirai was able to stay in the fight and kick out. The Genius of The Sky fought back, connecting with a Moonsault to the floor to neutralize Gonzalez and hit another Moonsault to retain her title.

My Opinion: 4 out of 5 – This was another strong women’s match in the WWE. We might still be a ways away from a truly equal division for the women, matches like this help get the old Divas division stink off of the current generation. Io is something else, isn’t she? She’s always been talented, but now Io has crossed that threshold to become a major deal. Kai kicked some ass here too, make no mistake, but Io is the champion and should remain as such for as long as she is the best of the roster. If you want a big-time PPV match where you get the wrestling and the chances are taken in glorious fashion, then you gotta stick around for this bad boy.

Match #6: (Main Event) Karrion Kross def. Keith Lee – NXT Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The summer of Keith Lee came to a screeching halt at NXT TakeOver XXX. The sands in the hourglass ran out on his time atop the black-and-gold brand. In a shocking main event, Karrion Kross dethroned The Limitless One, claiming the NXT Championship for himself. Lee came out of the gates on fire at the bell, knocking Kross from his feet with a huge tackle. The attacks remained fast and furious from the NXT Champion, as Kross looked vulnerable for the first time, even retreating to ringside after Lee connected with a splash. The fight remained on the arena floor, which was to the advantage of Kross, who was able to evade a charging Lee and send the champion crashing shoulder-first into the steel ring post. That provided a weak point for the challenger to focus on. Kross pounced on the opportunity and worked over Lee’s left arm with a series of vicious submissions. The Limitless One was able to fight through the pain and get back to his feet, finally breaking the hold by slamming Kross into the canvas. However, the challenger was relentless. Lee threw everything he had at Kross, and Kross threw it right back at him. Kross drove Lee into the canvas with a Doomsday Saito, locked on the Kross-Jacket and survived a thunderous Spirit Bomb from the champion. In the end, the battle made its way to the ropes, where Kross was able to take control and plant Lee into the mat with a second Doomsday Saito for the three-count. Doomsday has arrived for NXT. Is there anyone who can stop Karrion Kross, or will we all fall and pray before the new NXT Champion?

My Opinion: 3.6 out of 5 – This was a fine brawl that slowed down when Kross tried to actually wrestle. Kross needs to really focus on trembling his body when he puts people in holds, because that’s how you sell your part of it. Kross does great facial shit when he fights, but every-thing else he does is just one, big long rest-hold. Lee came across like a true champion here, so of course he lots to the man with the un-proven drawing power. Kross has moderate skills in the ring, but his lack of time as a drawing attraction hurts him as champion, because the only thing he has going for him is that he has a great entrance/promo format. Hey, this what promoters tend to do: give it to the new guy, because why not? Lee was building himself as a proper champion and was a proven draw before he ever arrived in NXT, so staying with him was the smart decision. Well, blow me Vince and give me back the right person for the title…

News Of The Night:

1. Rhea Ripley saved Io Shirai from getting whooped by Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez.

Final Verdict: 3.9/5

This was another excellent show that makes you wonder why can’t the WWE be like this all the time? …because Vince is an ass-hole!